Paul Di Resta searching for race pace improvements

Paul Di Resta has admitted that Force India’s race pace is lagging behind, saying improvements need to be made in order for the team to progress forward.

Speaking in a post-practice statement, Di Resta reflected on a productive day. “A good day’s work, although there’s always lots to talk about after two sessions around Monaco.”

Discussing any improvements needed, the Scot said that he was not 100% happy with his race balance. “There are some improvements we can make to improve the balance, especially with the race in mind, and that’s something we will work on tonight and tomorrow.”

However he felt that the team gathered plenty of data from the Pirelli tyres. “The tyre programme went well and we got as much data as we could, which is always the main focus for a Friday so I think we’re in good shape.” His general feeling ahead of qualifying and the race is “good” and that the “work we’ve done today has taken us in the right direction.”

Adrian Sutil shared his positivity after the two sessions, gushing about his return to racing at the principality. “It’s always a pleasure to come back to Monaco and driver a Formula One car at the limit,” he said.

It didn’t take the German long to find a rhythm and he summed the day up nicely, saying “things went pretty well.” He admitted that progress was made between the two sessions and he is feeling “comfortable in the car.”

Sutil and the team know what they need to improve on before qualifying on Saturday, saying “We know what the plan is for tomorrow and where we can improve to be ready for Saturday.”

Vijay Mallya’s two drivers finished 12th and 13th in first practice, with Di Resta leaping into the top 10 in FP2. Sutil finished the second session in 12th after completing 44 laps.

Image courtesy of Octane Photographic

Jack Leslie

Jack Leslie is a freelance motorsport and Formula 1 journalist. He has been part of the Richland F1 team since the very start and made his F1 paddock debut for the website at the 2014 Austrian Grand Prix. Jack also writes for Car Throttle, RumbleStripNews, Formula1Blog, PureF1 and F1 Plus, as well as running a popular blog.